Louisiana
Louisiana AG to launch full review of New Orleans security plan after Bourbon Street attack: report
Louisiana’s top attorney plans to open a full review into the security planning that went into the Sugar Bowl and New Year’s Eve as concerns continue to mount about whether New Orleans officials could have done more to prevent the deadly attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people and injured dozens more, according to a report.
NOLA.com reported that Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said she plans to make a formal announcement on Monday about the full review, noting that New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick has pledged to provide her complete support and cooperation.
New Orleans locals and visitors have been questioning why a temporary barrier intended to prevent cars from entering Bourbon Street, where Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a truck through a New Year’s crowd in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, was set down instead of up, allowing vehicles to pass.
The temporary metal barriers were installed on Bourbon Street and other areas of the French Quarter in mid-November as the city was in the process of removing old bollards and replacing them with stainless steel bollards. That work was expected to continue through January.
NEW ORLEANS BARRICADE OVERSIGHT IN ‘TARGET AREA FOR TERRORISM’ DURING PRIME SEASON RAISES CONCERNS
Attorney General of Louisiana Liz Murrill speaks to the media during a press conference on January 1, 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Attorney General of Louisiana Liz Murrill )
Official recommendations for New Orleans’ security measures in the French Quarter, as part of a $2.3 billion infrastructure project that began in 2017, included the installation of new bollards on Bourbon Street to prevent mass casualty events that the FBI identified as a potential threat in the popular tourist area.
Security recommendations for the area included street cameras, a central command center, better lighting and high-quality bollards that are also used by the U.S. government near its official buildings.
NEW ORLEANS ATTACK: INVESTIGATION CONTINUES, AS FBI SAYS NO OTHER SUSPECTS INVOLVED
Tourist walk past temporary barriers on Orleans and Bourbon Street, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Former FBI official Bill Daly, a security and risk management adviser, told Fox News Digital that the “Achilles’ heel” in the Jan. 1 tragedy was that the temporary measures used on New Year’s Eve did not provide the same level of protection as was previously intended, designed and envisioned in the 2017 report.
“Temporary barricades are used extensively. They’re used, for instance, by the New York City Police Department in Times Square, to close off all the side streets leading to Times Square,” Daly said.
He explained that in New York City, authorities place cement blocks on the sidewalk and in the middle of the street as temporary barricades, and also use some vehicles like garbage trucks and dump trucks to block the road.
NEW ORLEANS TERROR SUSPECT’S BROTHER SAYS ATTACK IS SIGN OF ‘RADICALIZATION’: REPORT
A barricade on Bourbon Street (right) is back up on Jan. 2, the day after the terrorist attack, while a barrier on another street in the French Quarter (left) appears down on Jan. 2. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)
Along with the investigation from Murrill, some city council members said they plan to conduct their own investigations into the security measures that were in place on the morning of the attack.
Murrill told NOLA.com she has spoken with City Council member Helena Moreno as well as District Attorney Jason Williams and other officials, adding that she intends to speak with others about her plans for a full review into security.
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“Everyone is committed to getting a complete picture of what was done or not done and, importantly, what needs to change so we can prevent this from ever happening again,” she said.
Murrill’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter.
Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin, Garrett Tenney and Ashley Papa contributed to this report.
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Louisiana will receive $18.9 million in federal grants for hurricane recovery, Sen. John Kennedy announced Thursday (May 14).
Funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will support disaster recovery efforts and repairs in communities impacted by Hurricanes Ida and Francine.
Kennedy said the funding will support Lafourche, Jefferson and Terrebonne parishes, as well as the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
The grants include $8.8 million to the Greater Lafourche Port Commission for permanent repairs from Hurricane Ida.
Jefferson Parish will receive $5.3 million for management costs from Hurricane Ida.
Terrebonne Parish will receive $2.6 million for debris removal operations from Hurricane Francine.
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development will receive $2.2 million for debris removal operations from Hurricane Francine.
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GOP-led states sending hundreds of additional National Guard troops to DC
Three GOP governors have pledged to send hundreds more National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to aid Trump’s federalization of the city.
Straight Arrow News
Louisiana National Guard soldiers have returned to Washington, D.C., on a second deployment as part of President Trump’s continued crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital.
Trump declared a crime emergency in Washington nine months ago to trigger deployments of states’ National Guard troops to the capital.
Republican Gov. Jeff Landry first sent a contingent of Louisiana soldiers to Washington in August 2025. Lt. Col. Noel Collins told USA Today Network on May 13 that all of those soldiers returned to Louisiana by the end of December.
Landry’s latest deployment of Louisiana soldiers includes about 125 who began assisting other soldiers and local police May 12.
Louisiana’s soldiers won’t make arrests, but they will patrol high-traffic areas while playing a supporting role for the D.C. National Guard and local police.
The White House has said its capital crime task force has made more than 12,000 arrests since August and seized thousands of illegal guns.
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – A new report shows Louisiana students are making some of the biggest gains in the country, with state education leaders celebrating the progress.
The newest national report card now ranks Louisiana 32nd in the nation, a jump from 49th in 2019.
“Louisiana is no longer about Louisiana simply believes, but for K-12 education, Louisiana achieves,” said state Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley.
The jump comes mainly from improved reading and math scores, making Louisiana the only state that has returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Gov. Jeff Landry said the achievement comes at an opportune time for the generation to capitalize on economic developments coming to the state.
“These young men and women are going to get an opportunity we have never had. These kids get to grow up in a new Louisiana at a time when they are getting the education they need,” Landry said.
Brumley said the focus is now on attendance, more tutoring, higher teacher pay, and job readiness.
“Tutoring for every kid to get a little extra help if they need it; differentiated pay so we can target pay in a very precise way to those teachers doing great work for kids; and in the elevation in career and technical education,” Brumley said.
While leaders are celebrating, Brumley said the real work is keeping that momentum.
“Louisiana doesn’t have to be last. Indeed, we can be number one. We will continue to see great results,” Brumley said.
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